Princess Oma-Odoko was the daughter of Attah Idoko, the king of Igala kingdom who was sacrificed to save her father-land during the war between the Igala kingdom and Jukun kingdom. Oma-Odoko, whose historical perspectives bear resemblance with Inikpi, voluntarily sacrificed herself to be buried alive with other nine girls in order to rescue the Igala kingdom from the hand of Jukun Kingdom during the inter-tribal war.
Princess Oma-Odoko was sacrificed by the astrologers at Inachalo River Idah, through a traditional chemical device weapon to fight an intertribal war between the Jukuns and the Igala-Kingdom in 1834.
Up till date, the Inachalo River remain poisonous to the Jukun Kingdom
As for the fishes within the river, it is considered that any fish caught from Inachalo can by no means be cooked, regardless of how lengthy it’s boiled or cooked — Inachalo fish will at all times be uncooked. However, some sources claim the fishes aren’t the common tilapia or catfish, however are a breed of terrible-looking, deformed fish. People within the space don’t catch or eat the fish. Some consider that when you’re injured from the bones of the fish, the damage won’t ever heal.
No fisherman can harvest or kill the Inachalo River fish for consumption since then. Inachalo fish will always be raw. People in the area do not catch or eat the fish.
While it’s recognized that Princess Inikpi sacrificed herself for the security of her folks within the Igala-Benin conflict, Princess Oma-Odoko was buried alive through the time of the Igala-Jukun conflict. Her loss of life and the conflict are additionally carefully linked to the cursed Inachalo river whose financial institution is residence to the Oma Odoko shrine.
You can discover Omodoko’s statue close to her shrine to commemorate the Princess’ braveness and her function within the preservation of the Igala folks and tradition. Omodoko is a legend among the many Ifala folks and is a very celebrated till this day.
Curated by: Media Department of The Office of the Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism
Sources: Google, Pulse.ng
OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL ADVISER ON CULTURE AND TOURISM 